Family Legwork
Rapozo Extended Family, we need your help to help ourselves. This is what you can do.
Here is what you can do to help in our family's battle and the larger battle we fight.
Extended Rapozo Family, we need your help to help ourselves and to help defend kuleana and other small family parcels scattered in the heart and soul of Hawaii. If the extended families interest in the Rapozo kuleana lands can be wiped out by Carlos supported by Mark then all kuleana and other small parcels are at risk of quiet title and the next big check book with a self-interested family member.
- Please resist any efforts to sell to Mark Zuckerberg or Carlos Andrade or companies controlled by either or both them. Be cautious when speaking with their attorneys and do not be afraid to stand your ground or to hang up the phone if they are abusiveness. If they come to your house uninvited or if they are threatening you in any way, ask them clearly to leave and call the police if necessary.
- If you must sell for financial or other reasons, we can help find a family member who will buy all or even part of your interest to keep it in the family and/or find a conservation group or government agency that may be able to buy and keep the character of kuleana in place alongside the holdings of the extended Rapozo family. We so much want you to keep at least a portion of your interest. Several family members have already come forward and said they are willing to buy and to find a way to honor your own legacy and provide reasonable access on through a trust of some kind that we are discussing (just high level at the moment) with stewardship groups. The steering advisory group believes that the access of all members of the Rapozo family should be allowed in some reasonable kind of way that is not burdensome to neighbors nor exposing neighbors to high risk. Many in the family think it is important to have access and to walk the footsteps of our ancestors and through Hawaiian history even if that may only be a periodic symbolic visit or a once in a life time visit. Many in the family believe this right of return and a brief visit is very important. If other Rapozo family are willing to purchase interest from other family and still honoring reasonable access, please let us know as well.
As to the organizing and documenting our defense, here is some guidance.
- keep all written notes, letters, emails and other materials sent to you, family and freinds by Zuckerberg, Carlos Andrade, or their attorneys. For conversations in person or over the phone, write a note to file listing who called, when and what was said. For all voicemails left, please make several copies and write a note to file about the details of the voicemail. Take the pictures of the notaries and other persons and their vehicles of those persons who have come to visit you in person and note whether they were invited or not. Then again write in that note their names, the date, what they said, and other details. For all the notes to file, please describe the tone they took and whether they were yelling, raising their voice, using expletives or otherwise saying threatening things. Notes in particular whether they threatened litigation and attorney fees. Also note whether they describe your interest as being a few square feet. Right now you all own an undivided interest in the entirety of the 4 parcels - the whole thing. We think partition and compulsory purchases is wrong but in any event until then you own an undivided interest (even if small) in the whole. Please note that much of this will eventually be made public so be accurate, fair and pono about the what you write.
-If you think you have been bullied or misled into signing a quit claim deed by Carlos, Mark or their attorneys, notaries or other agents, please let us know and provide the best written recollection you have. Take out a note pad and just write it out based on memory; describe the events, dates it and sign it. We can with your consent pass this on to the proper regulatory authorities with whom informal discussions have begun. We may in egregious cases ask you for your consent to make it public; we may have a moral duty to do so.
- some of us would like some land (may be a symbolic Rapozo parcel along with a larger contribution of Zuckberg land) be set aside for public access and a park not for us but for the community and legacy of kuleana in light of the assault and abuse sent our way. For ourselves, we the Rapozo family just want our 4 acres to be left alone and nothing more. We may ask for actual costs as this is a lot of money for us and we did not ask for this. In light of the injury suffered by our family and the indignity to the community, we have spoken with members of the community who rightfully believe that public space/open space is warranted. In addition, we would like to support easements over trails that have been historically used for beach access. Many of them we note have the benefit of customary use, but also many have legal existence as roads and trails going back to the days of the Hawaiian kingdom and the US territory of Hawaii. Many in the family have said that safety for the Zuckerberg family can hopefully be accommodated. Let us know your views on a fair outcome because we are discussing this with policy makers and interested groups and persons .
Email: info@rapozo-kuleana.com.
Phone numbers:
HI: (808) 439-6739;
CA: (310) 531-7504;
NV:(725) 222-4719;
Colarado family, we could not get an Colorado number in time, but please call us; we want to speak.
For emergencies, email kaleo@rapozo-kuleana.com. If you are about to sell or if you are feel you are being misled or threatened, that is an emergency, and we will try get to back to you as soon as we can. If you feel facing something very threatening and/or you sense physical danger, call the police first. We find the latter case unlikely, but we think we should just mention that so no one is put in danger.
Informal family advisory group is here to help
We are fortunate to have talented members of the extended Rapozo family with the ability, knowledge and skills to provide practical guidance. We are in talks with several law firms and government agencies about formal representation. Our advancing things will help.
1. Family Genealogy. We have several family members who have for decades kept track of family genealogy. They are keen to help you find out where you fall into the family lines and, if okay with you, gather information about what you know. Whilst we intend to initially keep this information private, it may be helpful to share this with our attorneys as part of our defense and any counterclaim we feel we likely must file. For family members from lines that may have had a rift with family in generations gone by, we will not pass judgment or criticize you. We want to help honor and celebrate your legacy.
2. Information and Coordination. Several family members are maintaining files of various information we receive and are checking court records periodically. As discussed elsewhere, please gather what information you can, ideally in writing (even if you own hand written summary of events) or audio or visual recordings. We will also publish from time to time information already public and other information that is reasonably to share with the public and with the extended family. A pdf of the complaint is include in the heading Resource Materials on another page.
3. Legal and Practical Guidance. We have several family members who are attorneys and real estate professionals. They can offer practical guidance on what the suit means, what offer tactics are reasonable and how to help preserve our case and your position. We expect to have an outside law firm and/or government agency be helping to take on this case in the near future.
The strategy we will take and remedies we will seek.
We are gathering information, ideas, and sentiments among the family to assess the best strategy that we can take and assess the remedies we think are appropriate to resolve the litigation in a manner fair and respectful to the family, to the community and to the legacy of kuleana lands. We and many others believe that they this case sets a bad precedent for kuleana lands and risks setting in motion the demise of family ownership of kuleana lands and other small parcels. A proper settlement will need to address that. In discussing this with the family, this appears to be as important as protecting the 4 kuleana parcels.